BOOK XXXIII. VI. 23-25 



sealing documents ! " Some gems indeed luxury 

 has left showing in the gold even on the side of the 

 ring that is hidden by the finger, and has cheapened 

 the gold with collars of little pebbles. But on the 

 contrary many people do not alloAV any gems in a 

 signet-ring, and seal with the gold itself ; this was a 

 fashion invented when Claudius Caesar was emperor. 

 Moreover even slaves nowadays encircle the iron 

 of their rings ^ with gold (other articles all over them 

 they decorate with pure gold), an extravagance 

 the origin of which is shown by its actual name <^ 

 to have been instituted in Samothrace. 



It had originally been the custom to wear rings 

 on one finger only, the one next the Httle finger ; 

 that is how we see them on the statues of Numa and 

 Servius TuUius. Afterwards people put them on 

 the finger next the thumb, even in the case of statues 

 of the gods, and next it pleased them to give the 

 little finger also a ring. The GalHc Provinces and 

 the British Islands are said to have used the middle 

 finger. At the present day this is the only finger 

 exempted, while all the others bear the burden, and 

 even each finger-joint has another smaller ring of its 

 own. Some people put all their rings on their little 

 finger only, while others wear only one ring even on 

 that finger, and use it to seal up their signet ring, 

 which is kept stored away as a rarity not deserving 

 the insult of common use, and is brought out from 

 its cabinet as from a sanctuary ; thus even wearing 

 a single ring on the little finger may advertise the 

 possession of a costlier piece of apparatus put away 

 in store. Some again show off the weight of their 

 rings ; others count it hard work to wear more than 

 one ; and others consider that filling the gold tinsel 



